I'm posting this here, because I know that many comments will be...less than kind. Many of you know who Fred Phelps Sr. is. This post is from his son, Nathan Phelps, a Facebook friend of mine, and someone I greatly respect. I saw Nathan speak a couple of years ago, and his obvious pain and contrition for the harm his family has brought to people, especially military people, truly touched me. I also had the opportunity to speak socially with Nathan, and he is a truly kind, peaceful man, who wishes nothing more than to right the wrongs of his family. I know that many will celebrate the death of his father, but I think his post is a good reminder that life is never black and white, and that while others celebrate, there will still be a family that mourns. In the end, Fred Phelps will die and pass into nothingness, as we all do, and it will be up to the people he leaves to make whatever sense they can of his life. My deepest sympathies to Nathan.

"I've learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the "God Hates Fags" Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the "church" back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.
I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes."

Despite Fred's 'contribution' to this world, I'm glad you posted this Lucretia. It behooves us to remember those left behind, especially family members who have not had the opportunity to reconcile the realities of the person they loved vs the person spouting evil hatred. It must be terribly difficult for Nathan and I do wish him well through this last journey with his father.

No sadness from me that Fred is nearly out of this world, but sadness all the same for those left to pick up the pieces.

"I've learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the "God Hates Fags" Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the "church" back in August of 2013

*needle scratching sound* Wait, what ? When did that happen, why, how, wherefore ? I thought he was the ironfisted guru telling everyone what to do and applying god's own coercion and/or shunning on those who refused ?

ETA :

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trinopus

Paradoxically, the best thing we can do is not to hate him, but, instead, to show a truer Christian forgiveness than he ever knew how to show.

Death is how nature cures the hate-filled. Nothing of value was lost, beyond the missed opportunity for human flesh to be worth more than the sum of his parts.

With each successive generation that particular brand of bile is slowly seeping deep into the cracks of the earth, and passing into oblivion. When we gain the wisdom to reject that kind of thinking, and we pass it on to the next generation, we improve all of mankind, forever. Wisdom gained is seldom lost.

Every personal victory over ignorance is worth a thousand losses, for that victory echoes throughout history, through each successive generation. Every loss is but the status quo, and every failure ending in death is merely another chance for someone else to achieve something better.

I celebrate every person who learned of his philosophy and rejected it out of hand, and there are far, far more of those on this earth than the opposition.

I take no pleasure in this man's failures, or his death, but all I see in his absence are better and more hopeful opportunities for all of us. I simply cannot mourn any of this.

Warm regards to his family members who care for him despite his views, and especially to those who cared for him as a person but rejected his terrible ideas.

*needle scratching sound* Wait, what ? When did that happen, why, how, wherefore ? I thought he was the ironfisted guru telling everyone what to do and applying god's own coercion and/or shunning on those who refused ?

Well, if he's dying, it must be because God is punishing him for not hating gays hard enough.

Well, if God exists, then Fred will soon get a chance to be judged as he has judged others. Not even remotely a position I would wish to be in, given the awfulness that he has ascribed to God.

And really, even if God existed and he was forgiven and taken into heaven? Still a bit of hell to spend that eternity knowing the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon the world. And I mean, really KNOW it. To know the harm he did, to know how wrong he was. For all eternity.

Has Nathan or any other offspring ever, before this moment, publicly spoken out against the fathers hateful ways?

No one should be surprised- Fred's daughters have been running the show for a long time, and he'd been pushed into the background ages ago. His daughters had been treating him like a nuisance and an old crank for years.

And yes, Nathan has spoken out publicly against his family many time before. Here's a speech he gave at a "Rally for Reason," with many of his angry relatives present and shouting at him. I myself am a faithful Catholic, but it's hard not to feel for Nathan or to admire him.

No one should be surprised he's been excommunicated from his own made up church?

Did he make up a church where his daughters have the power to 'excommunicate ' him?

How is 'excommunicated' even applicable to a made up church?

Who makes themselves head of their own church and empowers others to unseat them?

Just when you thought they couldn't appear any stupider, they do!

In a very small (it's nothing but family, and has no other members) church, it's completely unsurprising that a nasty, unpleasant old crank could be deposed by younger, more energetic family members.

And to anyone who was paying attention, it's been obvious for years that Fred Phelps wasn't the boss of his family any more.

The only thing that's surprising is that his daughters formally "excommunicated him," when they could/should just have locked the old coot away from the world and pretended he was too sick to attend the latest protest.

The ironic thing about this is, that if there really was a God, like the one Fred believed in, that cared about us he would have long ago killed Fred.

No, that truly is not what God is like. God loves everyone. He may be disappointed or very angry with the choices they make, but, like a parent, he never stops hoping they will reform and turn back to him.

I live in Topeka. I've seen Fred in years past, and stood on picket lines against him, close enough to touch. He was a dreadful, evil man as he was.

But after a lot of thinking and prayer I have come to realize that if I believe that Saul of Tarsus(the Fred of his day) could become Paul, professing God and dying for him, then that could happen for Fred too. It's never too late to come back to God.

And yes, Nathan has spoken out publicly against his family many time before. Here's a speech he gave at a "Rally for Reason," with many of his angry relatives present and shouting at him. I myself am a faithful Catholic, but it's hard not to feel for Nathan or to admire him.

IIRC, Nathan's the one who escaped in the middle of the night, the day he turned 18, and had quite a struggle at first.

Oh, and I find I don't feel anything in particular, other than sympathy for Nathan's emotional turmoil. Sounds like the legacy of hate will roll on for a while without that old opportunist to guide them. (He was a civil rights lawyer for years - because it was an untapped market, nothing more.)

No one should be surprised he's been excommunicated from his own made up church?

Did he make up a church where his daughters have the power to 'excommunicate ' him?

How is 'excommunicated' even applicable to a made up church?

Who makes themselves head of their own church and empowers others to unseat them?

Just when you thought they couldn't appear any stupider, they do!

It seems your understanding of how churches (even "made up" ones, whatever that distinction might mean) are incorporated is misinformed. Just like any other non-profit, they must file Articles of Incorporation, which must include an organizing/operating board. That board must be capable of making executive decisions. So yes - any and all churches are empowered to unseat the director of that church, despite being "made up" or not.

But after a lot of thinking and prayer I have come to realize that if I believe that Saul of Tarsus(the Fred of his day) could become Paul, professing God and dying for him, then that could happen for Fred too. It's never too late to come back to God.

I'm posting this here, because I know that many comments will be...less than kind.

I dunno. Perhaps we can all go to Kansas and protest at his funeral. Or line up and piss on his grave. Those are reasonably kind thoughts, considering the asshole extraordinaire that Fred Phelps was in his life.

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